We have talked a lot about how when we become Christians that we are called to do things
• We talked last week about the church
• Its importance (Unity, Meeting together, The Importance of coming each week, The importance of putting Church First)
• But is this all that we as Christians are supposed to do?
• What does it mean to follow God’s will, and how do we apply this to our Lives?
• What does Jesus expect from us if we claim to truly follow Him?
• So today we are going to try and discuss these questions and see what scripture tells us.
• By looking at 7 key areas:
1.First we see that an Action required
Lk 6:46 “So why do you call me ‘Lord,’ when you won’t obey me?
Lk 6:47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me.
Lk 6:48 It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built.
Lk 6:49 But anyone who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins.”
Here we see that Jesus is placing the emphasis on doing
• He say that it doesn’t do any good to refer to Him as Lord and not follow His instructions
• By following His instructions it is the same as building the house on a solid foundation.
• It gives us Roots / Strength / It grounds us against the Wind and Waves The Struggles that we face in life.
• So while the most important thing we can do in our lives is to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord,
• His own words tell us it’s just as important to live our lives according to His teachings, which He said came from the Father (John 7:16).
2. Second we see that we are to Worship in spirit and truth
When was talking with the Samaritan woman by the well, Jesus directed worship toward God the Father, by saying
Jn 4:23 But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way.
These words were and are very similar to what Joshua said in the Old Testament near the end of his life in the Promised Land.
Jos 24:14 “So honor the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone.
He was reminding Israel and us that they were to “fear the Lord, / serve Him in sincerity and in truth.”
• We see that in both the Old Testament and the New that Truth and Sincerity are both key elements in true worship of God.
• Just any form of belief and worship won't do.
• It must be sincere as well as biblically accurate.
3. Third we see that Church attendance is important
God expects us to show up when He commands a meeting,
• And He does this every Sunday (The Sabath)
Lev 23:3 You may work for six days each week, but on the seventh day all work must come to a complete stop. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day to assemble for worship. It must be observed wherever you live.
God said the Sabbath is a holy, commanded assembly (convocation) where attendance by His people is required (Leviticus 23:3).
• How seriously we take this command says a lot about how sincere we are in our worship.
In Luke 4:16 we’re told that When (Jesus) he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.
This was Jesus' custom (His regular practice) to gather in the synagogue every Sabbath to appear before God.
• In Acts 18:4 we see that Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike.
4. Fourth we see that we are called to Regular prayer and study
While Jesus was on Earth we see that He was a praying man
• As we read through the Gospels we find numerous passages that mention His going off by Himself to pray.
• And He expects His followers to imitate His example.
• In Matthew 6:6 as part of the the Sermon on the Mount, He said “when” you pray—not “if” you pray
Paul tells us that we are to pray without ceasing—never giving it up (1 Th 5:17).
• The people of the town of Berea were praised for their daily study of the Scriptures (Acts 17:11)
• They wanted to learn more about the way of life Paul was preaching and living.
• Jesus wants us to be in regular contact with Him through prayer and He wants us to study His written word that we find in the Bible.
5. Fifth we see everyone’s least favorite subject - Tithing
Jesus wants us to put our money where our mouth is, so to speak.
• As we look through the New Testament we see that Jesus spoke about money on a lot occasions.
• Some say He spoke more about money than any other subject.
• He said to lay up treasure in heaven, because where you put your money is where your heart really is (Matthew 6:20-21).
• Paul also taught that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil that can spiritually drown a person (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
Mal 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’
“In tithes and offerings. Mal 3:9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Mal 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
Now I don’t know about you but the idea of Robbing God doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
• Stealing means not only taking what isn’t yours but keeping what belongs to someone else.
• Here we see that one-tenth of everyone’s income is due to God; We Owe It To Him
• And when we fail to pay that debt it’s considered robbery
Here at our church we fail to hit our budget each week by $400-600
• Week before last we came up short on our weekly needs by $1200
• When this happens it puts a strain not only on our bills
• But also on the service that we are called to do for others
• Not to mention our goals for the future
• Youth each week leaving Sanctuary (20+)
• Within 2 years we will need a Youth Pastor to lead these teens
• We will need to add another 60-100K to a budget that already is
• Short $20k-30k Now
6. I mentioned Service and I was referring about Service to others
One of the reasons that Jesus came in the flesh was for the benefit of others
• He showed us that human beings could have their sins forgiven through the sacrifice of His perfect life.
• Jesus drew attention to that fact when the disciples began to worry about who was going to get the highest position of honor in the Kingdom.
• He told them that if they really wanted to be great, they should serve others —just as He came not to be served but to serve humanity by giving His life for all (Mark 10:42-45).
This lesson wasn’t lost on Paul either, as he told the churches in Galatia that they needed to express their love by serving others (Galatians 5:13).
So what does Jesus want from you?
• He wants us to use every opportunity that we have to do good for others—to serve them.
• He tells us that if we do something good to the least of our fellow Christians, it's as though we have done it to Him personally (Matthew 25:40).
7. Finally we see that we are called to Change
This may be the greatest desire Jesus has for us
• That we Constantly examine our lives in humility before Him
• And that we change the areas that don't agree with the instructions of the Bible.
• The Bible includes action words that describe the process
• Repentance, Conversion, Spiritual Growth, etc.
Look at what we find in the first message that Jesus taught when He started His ministry
Mt 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Repentance
It takes an attitude of humility to be willing to admit where we don't measure up to God's standards and to change.
• In Revelation 2 and 3 we find the messages to the churches all include references to overcoming.
• That means changing areas in our lives that don’t look like Jesus.
• And this process must continue / until we are completely like Him, changed into spirit (1 John 3:2-3).
Another servant of God summed up our duty this way:
Mic 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
What a Great way to sum up what Jesus wants from you / me / everyone who eventually comes to Him!
• We're to do justly—to live by all of God's commands.
• We're to love mercy—giving it freely to others just like He does to us,
• Realizing that if we don't forgive others, we will not be forgiven ourselves (Matthew 6:15).
• And at the same time we're to walk humbly with our God—looking carefully at our lives to see if we're following His instructions.
• Ecclesiastes 12:13 adds that fearing God and keeping His commandments is our whole duty.
Worshipping God in spirit and truth, attending church services regularly, praying, studying, serving others, tithing and changing to become like Jesus
• These are things that each one us are called to do
• They’re not options for us to pick and choose from
• These are requirements that come with the Responsibility of Being a Christian
These are the high points of what Jesus Christ expects from us.
• But what does He want to give us in return?
• The Scriptures tell us Jesus came to earth as part of God's plan to invite human beings to live forever as members of His family (John 1:12; Hebrews 2:10).
• To comprehend the significance of this offer, we need only think of how limited we are by time.
• As human beings, we all enjoy the pleasures and joys of life—friends, food, meaningful work, nice things, etc.
• But all of these things will eventually come to an end.
• Meals are over, jobs end, parties come to a conclusion, and we all eventually die when this lifetime is over.
God's offer to us is that we can experience a happy, meaningful life forever in His Kingdom!
• And This is an experience you certainly don't want to miss!
